Pencil lead sharpening device



Oct. 28, 1958 TAKEQ lTANo 2,857,884

PENCIL LEAD SHARPENING DEVICE Filed Nov. 2, 1956 FIG. 3.

VINVENTOR. T4 55a 7-,4/vo,

' ATTOE/VEYS.

PENCIL LEAD SHARPENING DEVICE Takeo Itano, Chicago, Ill.

Application November 2, 1956, Serial No. 620,080

1 Claim. (Cl. 120-92) The present invention relates to a device for putting a fine point on the tip of the lead of a pencil.

The ordinary pencil sharpener, while obviously quite efficient for its intended purpose, has the deficiency that it does not put a perfectly sharp point on the extremity of the tip of the pencil lead. While a point having this degree of sharpness would not ordinarily be required when the pencil is used, for example, for ordinary writing, in certain uses of a pencil a fully sharpened, needle-like point is desirable. Such would be the case, for example, when highly detained art workor engineering drafting must be done, requiring the use of extremely fine and accurately placed pencil lines.

In addition, after a pencil has been used for even a short time, the sharpness of the point is lost almost immediately and in these circumstances, it is desirable to avoid as much as possible the complete resharpening of the pencil. Therefore, it follows that it is desirable to have a means for sharpening the tip of the pencil lead without requiring, in addition, a full insertion of the pencil in the ordinary type of sharpener and complete resharpening of the pencil. Most usually, in these circumstances a draftsman or artist will use a pocket knife and an abrasive surface such as sand paper for the purpose of replacing the fine point on the pencil tip, but even this is a relatively inaccurate procedure and involves a considerable loss of time, often at moments when one is fully absorbed in the work being done.

In View of the above, the main object of the present invention is to provide a generally improved device for placing a sharp point on the tip of a pencil lead, which will eliminate the various difliculties previously described herein.

A more specific object is to provide a device of the character stated which will be very small, so as to be capable of being carried in the pocket, readily available for instant use whenever needed.

Another object is to form the tip-sharpening or pointnited States Patent ing device with blades readily adjustable to locate their cutting edges at selected angularities, whereby to impart a correspondingly selected, adjusted taper to the point of the pencil lead.

Still another object is to facilitate the replacement of the blades.

A further object is to permit the use of blades that might be segments of discarded razor blades, thus to eliminate the necessity of purchasing replacement blades for the pointing device.

A further object is to mount the blade cutting means against a removable lid of a shavings retainer in position such as to insure, automatically, the wholly accurate placement of the inserted tip of the pencil lead relative to the cutting edges of the blades.

Other objects will appear from the following descrip tion, the claim appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pencil lead pointing device according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view in which the lid of the shavings retainer has been separated from said retainer, the view thus being appropriately termed an exploded perspective view of the device;

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the device substantially on line 3--3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view on line 4-4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the lead pointing device, showing details of the blade structure.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the lead pointing device constituting the invention includes a rectangular shavings retainer 10. The outer configuration of the retainer can be varied as desired, that shown being merely illustrative of a presently preferred example of the invention.

The retainer is formed open at one end, and the open end of the retainer is normally closed by a flat lid 12 undercut through its full periphery as at 14 to enable the same to be removably, frictionally engaged in the open end of the container as shown in Figure 3.

Fixedly secured to and projecting inwardly from the inner surface of the lid are identical but opposite, V-shaped blade support elements 16. The blade support elements are mounted in opposing relation, with their apex portions in confronting, closely spaced relation as best shown in Figure 4. Each element 16 has side portions or blade support plates 17 of fiat formation, disposed in perpendicularly related planes (Figure 4) with each of said side portions (see Figure 5) being of rectangular configuration.

The confronting surfaces of the apex portions of the elements 16 are flattened and lie in parallel planes, with the plane of the flat surface of the apex portion of each element being disposed at 45 degrees to the plane of each side portion of the same element (see Figure 4). In the apex portions slots 18 are formed, extending longitudinally of the apex portions.

Slots 18, at their outer ends, terminate inwardly from the outer ends of the side portions 16 as shown in Figure 3, thus permitting the side portion of each element to be integrally connected at the apex portion of the element. The inner ends of the slots extend fully to the plane of the inner surface of the lid 12, to assure that all the shavings will freely gravitate through the slots during the pointing of the pencil tip.

As previously noted, the identical but oppositely formed elements 16 are disposed in confronting relation, and mounted in the confronting surfaces of the elements are flat, rectangular blade retainers or clamps 20 having outer edges integral with spacer lips 22 bearing against the surfaces of the associated side portions of the elements 16. Formed in the outer end portions of the blade clamps are openings receiving screws 24, which are secured to the side portions of the V-shaped support elements 16, through the provision of nuts 26 threaded on the screws and bearing against the mentioned side portions.

Clampably engaged between the inner end portions of the clamps 20 and the previously mentioned confronting surfaces of the elements 16 are blades 28. The blades 28 could be segments of razor blades, and in the illustrated example are of rectangular configuration, being formed with confronting, longitudinally extending cutting edges.

The blades are freely adjustable in a plane parallel to the planes of the side portions supporting the same, and thus said blade elements can be shifted longitudinally of the side portions toward or away from the lid, and can also be shifted transversely of the side portions toward and 3 .awayjfromthe-space defined between the apex portions of the elements 16. Stillfurther, the blades may be rocked in their planes, about any of various selected axes perpendicular to the planes of the side portions supporting the same.

This permits the blades to be adjustably positioneid so far as their cutting edgesare concerned, so that a tapering space is defined between'the'blades of the elements as shown in Figure 3, into which tapering space the pencil tip to be pointed is inserted througha'gflared recess 3 f .the lid terminating at its inner end in communication with a small guide opening 32, communicating with the interior of the device and with the larger-end of the tapering space defined by the blades.

.The cutting edges, at their outerends, that is, the ends remote from the lid 12, .will be .disposed in contact, though-not in overlapping relation, as shown in'Figure 3, audit-will thus be seen thatthe four blades, disposed in engagement with the side portions of the two confronting V-shaped elements, will cooperate, at the cutting edges thereof, in defining a conical cavity in which the pencil tip is inserted. Rotation of the pencil tip, accordingly, will cause the same to be sharpened to a needle-like point, with maximum ease and speed and with full accuracy.

It will be observed from Figure 4 that the ll-shaped elements are so arranged that when the blades are secured thereto, two of the blades will be disposed in one plane and the other two blades will be disposed in a second plane perpendicularly related to the first plane. Within these planes, as previously noted, the blades are freely adjustable longitudinally of the blades, transversely thereof, and about axes perpendicular to the planes of the blades.

In useof the device, the lid is applied to the retainer in the manner shown in Figures 1 and 2, after which it is merely necessary to insert the pencil tip'and rotate the same in the previously mentionedconical cavity or space defined by the cutting edges of the four blades. The shavings will drop through the slots 18, or will otherwise pass out of the cavity in which the pointing operation is being performed, and will be confined within the shavings retainer until such time as it isdesired to empty said retainer.

It will further be apparent that a device formed as illustrated and described is highly compact, small enough to be carried in the palm of ones hand or in the pocket, and when used on a drafting table or similar work surface, will occupy a very small amount of space.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it maybe utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described,.since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means 5 presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change 4 in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A pencil lead sharpening device comprising: a shavings retainer in the form of a cup open at one end; a lid removably engaged in and closing said end; a pair of identical but opposite V-shaped blade support elements fixedly secured to said lid in opposing relation with their apex portions pointed toward each other in closely spaced, confronting relation, each element comprising a single piece of material shaped to include a pair of like portions of flat formation disposed in perpendicularly related planes, the apex portions having confronting surfaces flattened and lying in parallel planes, the plane of the fiat surface of the apex portion of said element being disposed at forty five degrees to the plane of each side portion of the same element, the respective apex portions having slots extending longitudinally thereof and terminating inwardly from at least one end of the side portions of the elements in which they are formed, providing an integral connection. of the side portions of each element to the apex portion of the same element at said one end of the side portions, corresponding side portions of the respective elements having confronting blade support surfaces; flat, thin, blade-clamping pieces disposed in overlying relation to the several blade support surfaces of the side portions, said clamping pieces having outer edges disposed adjacent the respective side edges of the blade support elements and formed with spacer lips bearing against said blade support surfaces, the clamping pieces having openings; fastening elements extending through said openings of the clamping pieces andengaged with the respective side portions for securing the clamping pieces to the side portions, said fastening elements being disposed adjacent the spacer lips; and sharpening blades clampably engaged between the blade support surfaces and the clamping pieces at a location between the fastening elements and the apex portions, said sharpening blades projecting beyond the clamping pieces into the space between the confronting, flattened surfaces of the apex portions and having, in said space between the confronting flattened surfaces of the apex portions, sharpened cutting edges extending longitudinally of the apex portions and converging in a direction away from the lid, said blades having their cutting edges, at the divergent ends of the cutting edges, terminating adjacent the lid, the lid having an opening into which a pencil tip may be inserted, said opening of the lid communicating with the space between the apex portions at a location about which the divergent ends of the cutting edges of the several blades are arranged.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,810,285 Luppert 'June 16, 1931 2,221,239 Johnston Nov. 12, 1940 2,557,646 Fugle June 19, 1951 

